By-pass arrangement for pumping apparatus



4, 1951 L. M. NECHINE 2,563,862

BY-PASS ARRANGEMENT FOR PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

A 4, 19 1 L. M. NECHINE 2,563 862 BY-PASS ARRANGEMENT FOR PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIA'IIOJI/ Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED BY -BAS S ARRANGEMENT'FOB/ PUMPING APPARATUS Leonard: M. .Nechinc, Chicago, Ill.',.. assignor; to:-

GhicagoJPump Company, arcorporation.ofDcla- I are:

Application December 16, 1944, Serial 'No; 558,448

3 Claims; 1

This= invention relates to pumping apparatus andmore particularly to apparatus -for pumping sewage: In apparatus'of this kind, sewage or other liquid'oontaining solids flows into a basin containing, or-associated with, apump in a direc tion reversed to the direction of flow when the pump is operating.

Itis an established procedure at" the present time to provide'a straining device or screen which isinterposedbeWeenthe inlet to the apparatus and the pump; so *thatsol-ids in the incomingmateria-l are screened out before entering the pump. In the past the screened-or strained fluid was introduced into the-'basin through the pump, while it wasidle, and then the pump wasoperated to discharge the fluid from the basin;

When the screened fluid passed into the basin in' the above described manner, aresistance to the flow was developed due to the fact that thenew, reversed to the=- ordinary pumped flow, caused the impeller of the pump to spin back wards and create whirling vortex within-the pump chamber: The-centrifugal iorcegenerated by -this vortex and the frictional resistance tov flow-through the passages in the pump .impelleri were largely: responsible for the undesirable. re. sistance to v inflow.v This resistance to inflow. impaired ithe capacity'ofi the unit to handle the: desired inflow and; consequently; .costly; modifie cations of i the pump: to. compensatefor the; low: inflow 1 rate were required;

The: present invention; is. directed. to. novel; pump. byepassr arrangement which permits; the; incoming liquid to enter the basin atta point-in: advancesof the pump; .preierablysatia:pointintermediate: the J-strainer.= and the pump; thereby elime inatin-g' the: pump-as; an element which" impedes:

inflow-2* From-the: basin the liquid: is pumped back throughthecstrainerrin the. usual manner; there.* by. freeing thenstrainer. from; the accumulated; solid substanceaand the liquid together with. the solids, are discharged intoa sewer or: other: suitableplace.

Therpumpby-epass Eva-Ives zof the. prior artnused to citectr this rby-passing of infiowingliquid :have: notwbeen-satisfactory because thenvalves do not. operatezsufiicientlypositively in opening and'clos: ing and}. consequently; develop; excessive noise: andawater. hammer when opening: and closing. In accord Et-IlCBTWilZIIl the. present invention, L. have made; an" improvement in. such: by-pass valvemechanisms, including therein a-valve-which is: normally; open: and. held open by a spring ar rangement 1 when: the pump is idle, .VhiCh'EiS re sponsivectortheaflbw of water when; the pump.

operates to close without chattering; and which part :01 my specifications.

Referring tothe drawings:

Figure l is a vertical; transverse'section, .partly in elevation, of sewage-pumping. apparatussem-r bodying my invention, showing the valve in closed position in full. lines; and: in: open position in: dotted lines;

Fig. Z'isan enlargedfragmentary vertical sectional. viewsof amportion of a the apparatus shown inFig. 1;;

Fig: 3 is a front. elevation oisthevalva and:

associated plate embodying my invention; and- Fig. 4 isan' enlargeddetailed section taken. alongthe line: 4P4 otFig; '2.

In the drawings, there is shownxa pump. 15; preferably of the centrifugal type, located within asump .orbasin. l6 into which the: sewage,- for example, to .bepumped is delivered; The sewage enters the inletLpipc Ifirwhich passesthrouglr a" Wall ofithe basin, and 'flows: into basin IE through a valve-controlledpump by+passsopening is inone legof. afittingtlfi, forming-a partofi the inlet passageway interposed between. the pump anda strainerih, Strainer 2| is located in the-lower portion of 31110113622 whichxis. in communications with the-inlet .pipe I]; through. pipe2il, and is also: incommunicationwith discharge pipe strainerserves to intercept sewage solids or. solids contained: inuthe :liquid introduced through inlet l lxand thusprevents. these solids from entering the. basin and, ultimately, .the pump. A one-wayoheck.:.va1ve 24 iinpipe Zihallowsthe sewagelto pass.v to strainer 2!: This valve. is; forced; shut when the pump. discharges liquid and thus insures that the. pumped liquid. will enter. dischargcpipe. 23

and be discharged therethrough.

Pumpl4 =I is supported 1 adjacent the bottom of 1 basin It by a hanger pipe29 which is-carried by cover 2'! of. the basin. Electricmotor 33,. supported on thebasin cover. 21, and its shaft are.

5.5;connected.to-thedmpeller shaft. of thapump The in a conventional manner. As shown, impeller shaft 34 extends through hanger pipe 29. The suction inlet of the pump is through the bottom of the pump casing and the discharge is through a volute 36 which is connected to and communicates with fitting l3, and in turn with pipe 22 and discharge pipe 23. The discharge pipe extends upwardly in basin I6 and through cover 21, and is connected by suitable fittings, discharge gate and check valves to a carry-off pipe (not shown) through which the ejected sewage or other liquid and accumulated screened solids are carried to a sewer or other place of disposal. When the pumping apparatus is located in a dry pit the suction inlet of the pump is connected by a suitable conduit with an associated basin, and opening I9 is in communication with this conduit or with the wet well, as is well understood.

The operation of motor 33 in driving pump I4 is controlled by a switch 42 which is operated by a float 44 within basin l6. In the form of switch operating mechanism shown, switch lever 47 is operated bybuttons 48 and 49 mounted upon a switch actuating rod which has the float 44 secured to its lower end. The arrangement is such that when the liquid in basin I6 is at a low level, switch 42 is open and the motor and pump are at rest. When, however, the level of the liquid in the basin reaches a predetermined high level, switch 42 is closed by button 48, thereby closing the electric circuit through the motor to operate it, and, in turn, the pump.

Fitting l8, as shown, is joined with fluid-tight connections to the lower portion of pipe 22 and to the exit end of volute 36. A plate 52, to which by-pass valve 54 is attached as hereinafter described, is bolted or otherwise secured to the lowermost portion of fitting l8.

By-pass valve 54 is in the form of a disc having a top wall 55 which bridges pump by-pass opening l9, and an annular skirt portion 56 which seats on a, valve seat, formed by an annular member 51 which is positioned within an opening 58 in an annular plate 52, as by a drive fit. Top wall 55 preferably has a cup shape and" the concave side thereof is in the direct line of flow from the pump when the valve is in open position. On one side of the top portion of valve 54 there are spaced apart lugs 59 and 60 which are provided with aligned openings for receiving a bolt or pivot pin 62, about which valve 54 pivots in opening and closing. A curved skirt or shroud portion 63 extends between lugs 59 and 65 and is designed to protect a helical spring 65, which surrounds pivot pin 62, as hereinafter described.

On one side of plate 52 there are spaced apart lugs 61 and 68 which are provided with aligned openings for receiving pivot pin 62. The distance between the outer extremities of lugs 61 and 68 is less than th distance between the inner extremities of lugs 59 and 66, thereby allowing the latter to be positioned about the former with the pivot pin openings aligned. Plate 52, valve disc .54, pivot pin 62, spring 65, and lugs 59 and 50 and 61 and 68 when fitted together form an assembly which is bolted to flange 69 which surrounds the opening in the lower leg portion of fitting l8. This assembly is so designed that if spring 65 fails in its operation, it is easily accessible and replaced with a minimum amount of labor. Spring 65 is dimensioned to extend over a part or all of the space between lugs 61 and. 68.

The assembly of plate 52 and valve 54 is as follows. One end 12 of spring 65 is inserted in an opening 13 in plate 52 adjacent one of the lugs thereon, say the lug 63. Valve 54 is now positioned over the spring with shroud 63 directly above the spring, and the other end 14 of the spring is then inserted in an opening 15 in the pivot end of valve 54. The opening through the spring is aligned with the pivot pin openings in the lugs and pivot pin 62 is then inserted through the aligned openings from either end. The pin extends successively through lug 59, lug 61, spring 65, lug 68 and lug 60, and holds plate 52 and valve 54 as a unitary structure. through opening 15 and plate 52 is positioned against flange 68 and bolted thereto. The hinge portion of the valve and plate assembly, including spring shroud 63 are received in a recess 11 formed in the bottom of fitting I8 adjacent flange 69. The wall defining this recess is so shaped as to extend about the ends of the pivot pin 62 (Fig. 4) and in relatively close proximity thereto, thereby providing a retaining wall which prevents the pin from falling out of the aligned openings. It is manifest from the drawings that shroud 63 covers spring 65 and prevents entrance and accumulation of any small solids or strings which might pass strainer 2| and thus prevent successful operation of the valve.

Spring 65 is a helical torsion spring, suitably made of rust-proof material, and is designed with a fatigue safety factor such that the fatigue limits are far beyond the life of the associated equipment. arrangement is to maintain the valve 54 in a normally open position, it serves the dual purpose of a dampening or anti-slam device when the flow is sharply reversed as the pump starts up. Spring 65 thus functions to exert torque to open the valve and to resist closing thereof, thereby insuring that the valve will operate with a minimum of noise.

Strained sewage entering fitting I8 when pump M is not in operation, flows through opening l9 in the lower portion of fitting l8 into the basin. Valve 54, which is urged onto the valve seat by the liquid discharged from the pump, prevents the flow of liquid into the basin when the pump is in operation. As explained heretofore, the valve, hinged at one end and arranged with the spring attachment, is kept in a normally open position when the pump is at rest, as indicated by the dotted line position in Fig. 1. With the by-pass valve mechanism in the full line position the pump is operating and the liquid is being pumped from the basin and discharged through discharge pipes 22 and 23.

In the operation of this device, assuming that the by-pass valve is in the dotted line position shown and the pump is at rest, sewage orother liquid enters inlet I1 and passes through strainor 2|. The solid matter contained in the liquid is intercepted by the strainer and begins to ac-.- cumulate around it. The liquid which is thus strained passes through the top opening in fitting l8 and then flows through opening l9 into basin I6. As soon as the liquid in the basin reaches the predetermined high level, switch 42 is closed, and the pump motor is started, thereby operating the pump. The water discharged by the pump exerts a pressure against valve 54 forcing it from the dotted line position to the full line position shown without chatter. The liquid discharged from the pump passes through fitting [8 up through strainer 2|, carryingwith it the solid matter accumulated there around, and is discharged with the solid matter through discharge pipe 23. When the liquid in basin l6 Valve 54 is now inserted.

While the main purpose of this spring reaches the predetermined low level, the switch f is opened, the pump is stopped and the former operation repeated.

In the operation of a device as described it is manifest that the operation of the pump is intermittent, depending upon the level of the liquid in basin 16. If it is desired to introduce sewage or other liquid continuously into basin [6 and to pump it continuously therefrom, the pumping apparatus, motor and motor control mechanisms herein above described, may be duplicated within the basin as in Durdin, Jr. Patent No. 1,785,480 and Lannert Patent No. 2,265,650, and operated as therein described to accomplish this.

In pumping apparatus of the type herein described, now in commercial use, a valve is provided in a suitable place in inlet line H, usually in advance of it, whereby the apparatus may be shut off from the source from which the sewage or other liquid is delivered. Many times the flow of this fluid is of considerable volume, beyond the capacity of the apparatus to handle it in the manner described above, and to take care of this large fluid flow, a strainer 40 is secured in an opening in the top of the inlet conduit IT, as shown, through which some of the liquid passing through inlet passageway Il may escape directly into basin I6.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for pumping liquids wherein the liquid flows into a basin containing or associated with a pump in a direction reversed to the direction of flow when the pump is operating, a pump by-pass passageway comprising a fitting having an opening leading into said basin, a valve adjacent said opening for opening and closing said passageway, an annular member secured to said fitting to form a seat for said valve, a pair of spaced lugs extending from said valve, a second pair of spaced lugs extending from said annular member and fitting between said first mentioned lugs, all of said lugs being apertured transversely, a pivot pin extending through said apertured lugs to pivotally mount said valve adjacent said passageway, a spring encircling said pivot pin between the lugs on said annular member for maintaining the valve in open position, said fitting being recessed adjacent said pivotal connection, the wall of said recess being shaped to extend around the ends of said pivot pin in close proximity thereto to prevent said pin from falling out of the aligned openings in said lugs, said valve, while in open position, being in the path of liquid flow from the pump and being so dimensioned as to be directly responsive to said flow to be rotated to the closed position against the action of said spring.

2. In apparatus for pumping liquids, a basin, an inlet conduit for liquid to the basin and an outlet conduit for liquid from the basin, a pump for pumping liquid from the basin through said outlet conduit, a pump by-pass passageway which is open to permit liquid to flow from said inlet conduit directly into the basin when the pump is idle and which is closed when the pump is operating, a valve for opening and closing said by-pass passageway, resilient means for maintaining said valve in open position, and a curved skirt extending from said valve over said resilient means to protect it from contact with material that might otherwise interfere with its proper functioning, said valve, While in open position, being in the path of liquid flow from the pump and responsive to said flow to be moved to the closed position against the action of said resilient means.

8. In apparatus for pumping liquids, a basin, an inlet conduit for liquid to the basin and an outlet conduit for liquid from the basin, a pump for pumping liquid from the basin through said outlet conduit, a pump by-pass passageway which is open to permit liquid to flow from said inlet conduit directly into the basin when the pump is idle and which is closed when the pump is operating, a valve for opening and closing said by-pass passageway, said valve being pivotally mounted adjacent said passageway, a spring for maintaining the valve in open position, and a curved skirt extending from said valve over said spring to protect it from contact with material that might otherwise interfere with its proper functioning, said valve, while in open position, being in the path of liquid flow from the pump and being so dimensioned as to be directly responsive to said flow to be rotated to the closed position against the action of said spring.

LEONARD M. NECHINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,774,234 La Bour Aug. 26, 1930 1,785,480 Durdin, Jr Dec. 16, 1930 2,227,767 Smith Jan. 7, 1941 2,238,597 Page Apr. 15, 1941 2,265,650 Lannert Dec. 9, 1941 2,268,806 Curtis Jan. 6, 1942 2,401,254 Lannert May 28, 1946 

